Tag: Workout

Hi everyone! Before I jump into this post I would like to issue an apology for my absence – these last weeks were full of studying and I literally had no time for anything else, but now that my workload has eased I will be back to posting on a regular basis. Thank you all for sticking around and I cannot wait to be involved in the blogging world once again, and I have managed to accumulate a nice list of ideas while I was away so be expecting a lot of content in the run up to Christmas!

Okay, now let’s leap into the main topic of this post: when you’re just starting out a new exercise programme, it can understandably feel like climbing Mount Everest, in particular if you’ve never been athletic before. To some people, sport can feel natural and easy, while to others it connotes hours of difficulty and pain, and this category of people may not understand how others workout for fun rather than just for the physical benefits. Whether you’ve started a fitness journey to build muscle, lose weight or prevent one of the diseases associated with living a sedentary lifestyle, those first few weeks of jumping between exercise machines may be anything other than enjoyable and as a consequence, many people quit because ‘they don’t like exercise’.

I have been going to the gym for around four years at this point, and prior to joining I have been sporty for my entire life. Despite the fact that at certain points my relationship with exercise has been less than optimal, as a whole I love movement. Going to the gym is one of my favourite parts of the day. However, even as a ‘seasoned’ gym goer, I experience dips in motivation. The time I dedicate to my workout goes by much slower than usual and every exercise just fundamentally feels harder and heavier. Sometimes, I do workouts I don’t wholeheartedly adore (e.g. spinning) because I know of the health benefits they deliver and that accomplishment I experience afterwards. In both cases, I have to implement a few tricks to make the workouts feel ‘easier’ without compromising the actual difficulty of the workout. Sounds contradictory, but hopefully you all know what I mean.

Sometimes, you cannot make it to the gym and only have thirty or so minutes to get in a good workout. At other times, you want to switch up your routine due to sagging motivation and boredom. That’s when an equipment-free, do at home or anywhere else workout comes in handy. I will always love the gym and lifting heavy but continuously doing the same thing can be detrimental to progress, hence I often mix in quicker, high-intensity workouts to ‘shock’ my muscles and build up endurance.

This workout is one of my favourites for many reasons and I wanted to share it with all of you to show that all you need to pursue fitness is yourself and a stopwatch. It is both beginner-friendly (perfect for anyone who is just starting their fitness journey and is yet to sign up for a gym membership) and can be made harder by adding a pair of dumbbells or ankle weights. I took this workout outside to embrace these last few days of bearable weather, but I am sure I would have managed in the limited space of my bedroom.

The circuits do not have to be done all together and can be mixed into a gym routine for some extra intensity. Be sure to include five or so minutes of dynamic stretching before and after the workout, modifying the exercises to suit your abilities (e.g. the plyometric exercises can be replaced with their ‘ordinary’ counterpart, such as squats instead of jumping squats) and keeping a water bottle on hand to stay hydrated. Just a quick disclaimer – I am not a personal trainer and you should consult your doctor before starting any exercise programme, so ensure you are in the correct state of health before doing this!

CIRCUIT 1: Complete each exercise for 45 seconds before resting for 15. Repeat circuit three times (12 minutes total)

Exercise 1: lunge with knee tuck.

Start from a standing position. Step back into a lunge as demonstrated in the above photo, ensuring your knee doesn’t go over your toe. Push off the floor and lift your leg into a knee tuck until your thigh is at least parallel with the ground. Then, bring your foot back into a lunge and ensure it does not touch the floor throughout the transition.